Tag: International Women’s Day

Today is a day to celebrate being a woman and being woman in the twenty first century. This is such an exciting time, as women are fighting back after decades of years of inequality in the workplace and all other aspects of life. However, I always like to reflect on all the women who have come before me, who might have been smarter, stronger, more talented than myself who should have been presented these opportunities and sadly weren’t.

One woman who truly inspires me is my Nanny, Alice. She turned 80 this year and left school at 15 to go work. She lost her first job in shop when she dared to stand up for herself and her fellow workers about their working conditions. I found this incredibly inspiring as even at the age of 15 my Nan was brave and strong enough to stand up for herself and others. Despite losing her job, she never lost her spirit and she has continued to be both a fierce woman, mother and grandmother. It’s been sixty five years since my Nan lost her first job, she’s been married, had children, Grandchildren, had various other jobs, been in a near fatal car crash which nearly claimed her life, got divorced, been remarried, lost many loved ones and seen many changes in society. She was the first feminist I ever knew and she didn’t even know she was one herself, she always just says “she’s saying and doing what’s right”. When I lost my Mum, nearly two years ago now, the one person who was there for me was her, she’d lost her youngest daughter and yet she put her own grieving to the side to just care for me and she did so with so much love and kindness which must have taken a lot of strength and courage from her, even more so then when she was 15 and standing up to her employer.

I do wonder if it had been different back then what she would have done and what opportunities she would have taken had she been born in 1994 like me. Unfortunately, she and I will never know but I know I call myself a feminist because of the support and love I get from her. I bloody love my Nan.

Happy International Women’s Day, lets never give up the fight for a fairer and equal society.